Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तस्माद्वज्रेण देवेन्द्रस्तवैतल्लिंगमुत्तमम् । छादयिष्यति सर्वत्र यदि त्वं मन्यसे प्रभो

Transliteration

tasmādvajreṇa devendrastavaitalliṃgamuttamam | chādayiṣyati sarvatra yadi tvaṃ manyase prabho

Translation

„Darum, o Herr, wenn Du es billigest, wird Devendra (Indra) dieses Dein erhabenes Liṅga überall mit dem Vajra (Donnerkeil) bedecken, damit man sich ihm nicht wahllos nähere.“

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: from that; therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुँलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वज्रेण: with the thunderbolt
• वज्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवेन्द्रः: Indra, lord of the gods
• देवेन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण (pronominal adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga; emblem
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent; supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लिङ्गम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• छादयिष्यति: will cover; will conceal
• छादयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छाद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तार्थक-समुच्चय/निपात (conditional particle)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मन्यसे: think; consider
• मन्यसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• प्रभो: O Lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

The Devas (gods), implied continuation

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-liṅga (contextual)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas propose Indra’s vajra forming a protective cover or boundary around the radiant liṅga—depicted as a shimmering, thunderbolt-like lattice or dome, signifying controlled access.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Devendra)
• Vajra
• Śiva-liṅga
• Śiva (Prabhu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiest realities are protected with reverence; sacred power is to be approached with discipline, not casualness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga of the Arbuda-khaṇḍa narrative is presented as extraordinarily potent within the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A proposed protective act: concealing/covering the liṅga with Indra’s vajra, subject to Śiva’s consent.